1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vehicle seat provided with a seat pad (a member which includes a top plate portion and an edge portion) which elastically supports an occupant on a seat frame.
2. Description of Related Art
In a typical vehicle seat, a seat pad that elastically supports an occupant is arranged on a seat frame which constitutes a seat skeleton. Moreover, the seat pad is provided with a substantially flat top plate portion and an edge portion which protrudes toward a seating side at a side of the top plate portion. Moreover, when driving normally, the occupant causes the top plate portion to be moderately deflected while being seated, and a side portion of the occupant is supported by the edge portion when the occupant drives to make a turn or the like. Moreover, in such a seat structure, bending of the top plate portion to a larger extent (immersing into the seat) and the like is desired during vehicle collisions, so as to improve the performance of supporting the occupant.
Thus, in the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-179748 (JP 2010-179748 A), a seat pad of a seatback is provided with a top plate portion and an edge portion, and their back faces (a side facing the seat frame) are covered with a lining. Moreover, on the lining, a slit extending in an up-down direction of the seat is formed between the top plate portion and the edge portion. Accordingly, in the commonly-known technique, the seat pad is supported by the lining from below, such that the top plate portion can be moderately deflected on normal driving occasions. Furthermore, during vehicle collisions, the top plate portion bordered by the slit can be deflected to a larger extent than the edge portion and at the same time immersed into the seat.